My First Ron Drawing

This was the first time I had ever drawn Ron, which was in Foundation Drawing 2 with Elena Arnaoutova. It is quite a shame that he is gone because future students at CCS will never have the chance to use him for a model. Ron, you will be missed a lot by everyone.

For Ron

Ron was a great character and a fantastic model. One of the best that I've had the privilege of drawing and painting. I always commended him on his extreme postures and his ability to hold them for extended periods of time. My only regret is that I never fully took advantage of his services above and beyond the classroom. Had I the money to hire him as a model for my own work, I would've. Here's to you, good sir.

He was typical of these faces and gestures that made drawing a treat.


This is one of my favorite portraits that I did while at CCS. I felt as though it actually captured the likeness of him.


This was the last portrait I did at CCS and it was of Ron. It was a good note to leave on.


Thanks Ron.

RIP Ron

You are already missed...

RIP Ron

You will be missed.
I'm hoping that we can really get something together(show-wise) to keep Ron's legend alive.

For Ron.

Ron was truly a gift to all of us at CCS. Like others have said, he helped every student who was lucky enough to have him in a figure drawing or anatomy class become a better artist. He was always so polite and soft-spoken, but when he got up to pose he was a rockstar. So cheers to Ron, we'll miss you but we all have the great memories to celebrate!

Figure Drawing I, December 5, 2005.

This is my favorite drawing/painting of Ron that I have. Why? Because in Anatomy, Eugene wanted us to try water based oils. I had never tried them before. We had to crop our painting to just a few features rather than a whole figure. I always had a fascination with Ron's hair. It was always one of my favorite parts of drawing him. Sometimes it would be long and flowy, sometimes it was in a ponytail, I even have a few where he has a bun. And no matter how crappy of a drawing someone did of him, or how unlike him it looked, if you saw that nice hair of his, you knew that was a drawing of Ron. When this pose was done, Ron went around the room like he always did to see what everyone drew. I was still doing some things to mine when he came up to me and said "wow, that's really neat, I don't think I've seen anyone crop a pose of me like that before." I remember telling him "thanks Ron! I just think you have great hair," and he smiled and laughed and walked on. Therefore, this is very dear to me. I am sad and happy now.

The first 4 drawings I ever made of Ron. Figure Illustration 1, freshman year.


And the last one in Portrait Painting, junior year.

Ron Hayward.

I asked Eugene Clark to send me a few pieces of Ron and he sent these. Ron was such an amazing model and person. He was always concerned when it came to our student affairs and always strived to be the best model he could be for us. He wanted us to get better. He cared as much for us as we did for him. CCS will never be the same. Rest in peace Ron Hayward. You were unlike any other.

In Memory

I have hundreds of drawings of Ron. Hundreds and hundreds. But somehow, these three drawings are the only thing I have left. The rest are hiding in my parent's house in the basement. These drawings are from early Freshman year, over 4 years ago, when I was still a little shocked each week to find myself drawing a naked man. But it's because of Ron that I got better at drawing. Each semester, you can see it in Ron's face, in his hands, in the gestures of his pose, that I was improving, and it was all thanks to him. Nobody else got into it like he did. He would stay in his pose for twenty minutes when the class was on break and there was absolutely nobody else in the room, and then continue the pose for the rest of class.  He would make the funniest and most complex faces and poses because he was so into character. I would see him at the Student Show openings, manning tables or helping hand out information for interested art buyers. He even attended the Illustration Potlucks. He was a part of our family and he truly loved CCS. No other model comes close to the dedication he had. We all share memories and funny stories of Ron throughout the years which binds us together in a way nobody else would understand. 

For all future generations at CCS, you are truly missing out on something special. I am grateful for the time we managed to have. Here's to you, Ron.

This is a Tribute

Some of you may remember Ron - the best figure model CCS ever had. Ron passed away on Sunday morning, and he will be missed. So this week, instead of the usual hallway show, I think we should all post our tribute to Ron - an old piece or a new one, and maybe share a memory or favorite pose. We are all better artists because of Ron's dedication to his craft, and the least we can do to honor his life is draw him one last time. RIP Ron Hayward.